This is a discussion on Aggression and other family favourite questions within the online poker forums, in the Learning Poker section; I understand I'll be asking a lot of questions so I'll number them. That should make it easier for the tldr responses. Any advice and

Aggression and other family favourite questions

I understand I'll be asking a lot of questions so I'll number them. That should make it easier for the tldr responses. Any advice and help would be very much appreciated and thank you ahead of time for even taking the time.

1. Opening
Regardless of what my hand is, I always struggle to make a 3bb open. Maybe I'm just chip stingy or a miser or whatever, but to get into the open habit do you just have to accept it as a norm - grin and bear it, open wide and just do it? I have read many books already, played quite a few games and still limping is natural. Do I just make 3x and up a new habit?

2. Aggression
We all have different natures personally and aggression is not one I feed often. So supposed aggression in poker confuses me somewhat. I understand it has to do with accumulation and it makes perfect sense. However, not part of my nature. Do I also make it a new habit? When I have attempted it it bit my butt badly. There were two online tourneys I won locally, not advertised on this site (and rightly so as their software is absolute crap)... But when I won, I needed rent money and after that I never had anywhere close to that mindset again... nor knowing how to get back into it. Final table was very aggressive and I said cool, let's go so it was an all in fest as it was taking too long. May have been an incorrect mindset but it worked that day and the next day but I can't seem to get back there. Any ideas as to how to start?

3. Small ball, long ball?
When? How to go about it? How do you do it?

As far as I understand it, long ball is idiotically tight and waiting around could mean the antes alone can take you out. Small ball early is being appropriately loose but can also get you in trouble. Unless all this is in the name of poker and there's always another game?

4. Being bullied by big stacks
I suppose this is the norm but how to handle it when you are really short? No matter what you playing with, it always seems they will call you or put you all in. Norm of poker as well? Bad beats are normal, I know this. I won't cry about it cos I've given my fair share as well, karma the bitch, pffft. But still, is there an effective way to sack up and just take them on?

5. Using the freerolls to apply this stuff
I've always wanted to learn small ball properly, but can it be effectively used in freerolls or not so much?

6. The inferior name calling
I still see in some posts people referring to donks and fish as inferior. I myself am called that a lot in games after I took someone out. Why is there a need for this? Does it make one feel superior in any way? If I start doing the same does it come with a superhero suit because I'd really like to join that club then, hehehe

But in all seriousness, was I a donk or a fish to have taken them out? Berated by a table for doing so as well, lol... Those were a few fun games though, having cashed and they didn't. I digress, name calling.... Tsk tsk

I do have more questions, but I'll reserve them for a later date. Any help will be appreciated and thanks again for reading

#2

20th November 2016, 4:24 PM

evolucian [32]

Online Poker at: pokerstars

Game: holdem

OK well, YouTube supplied some info for me by watching a game. Long process to go and many things to try and change. Application I guess.

Anyone with some info on one or two questions, go for it. Its Sunday, you are playing... So maybe later a response or two

#3

20th November 2016, 4:27 PM

Becky Eubanks [1,449]

Poker at: ACR

Game: all 3

I have some of those same problems
so I will be following....

#4

20th November 2016, 5:36 PM

vinnie [1,018]

Online Poker at: ACR

Game: Anything

re: Poker & Aggression and other family favourite questions

1. You don't need to open 3xbb, you could make it 2xbb, 2.5xbb, 3.5xbb, 4xbb, or even more and anything in between. That doesn't address your actual concern, which is "do I have to come in for a raise?" If you are the first person to voluntarily put money in, it really should be a raise. If a couple people have limped already, I am more inclined to limp behind with a hand that plays well in multi-way pots.

Raising helps reduce the amount of people on the flop, which increases your success of winning the pot in the and. Raising builds a bigger pot, which you have a greater chance of winning because you have taken the lead. Raising forces people to make mistakes. If you raise 98s on the button and the big blind folds J8s, they have made a mistake. It would be impossible for them to make a mistake if you limped, because it would be free to play. And, so on.

2. This is related to number 1. If you are not aggressive you will be losing all the hands where you have the worst cards and some of the hands where you have the best cards. If you are aggressive, you will be winning some of the hands where you actually were beat and you will make more when you do have the best hand. It makes it harder for your opponents to play against you.

3. Small ball and long ball are just betting strategies and I wouldn't stick to either one as my sole focus. Make your bets make sense with your range and the board texture compared to your opponents range.

4. You avoid being bullied by taking a stand and shoving against their opens when your hand is good enough. Yes, it is risky. But this is poker.

5. Freerolls can be used to practice. Just know some opponents will be playing more wildly because their only cost is time.

6. Insults are part of the game. It would be nice to have people grow up and stop, but I doubt it. A little needling is sometimes part of my strategy, when I know a player is likely to get frustrated and tilt.

#5

20th November 2016, 5:47 PM

evolucian [32]

Poker at: pokerstars

Game: holdem

Thanks Vinnie, much appreciated. 👍 taking a stand, kinda like a wing and a prayer situation? They can call regardless as it is poker. I'm cool with that. Just sux sometimes.

I gather that insults can be a strategy, but yeah... Still not nice. Cos poker isn't nice, lol. But its cool, each to their own I guess

#6

20th November 2016, 6:35 PM

vinnie [1,018]

Online Poker at: ACR

Game: Anything

The insults aren't nice, but I try and remind myself that the people who are taking the time to type insults into chat (or verbalize them in live games) are almost always demonstrating that they've started to lose control of their emotions. That means, they're raising a flag telling you that they've started to play worse. Instead of being bothered by it, you should feel happy. They're letting you know they're ready to give their money away.

It's not really a "wing and a prayer" situation. You should be doing the math and know when it makes sense. If the big stack is attacking your big blind 80% of the time, and he'll fold to a shove only 20% of the time, then you want to figure out your equity against a 64% range and shove when the pot odds combined with the fold equity are correct. In the actual game, you won't know these numbers exactly. As you gain experience, you'll get a feel for it. You don't want to make crazy, loosing, shoves (like shoving 3-2o after his raise and a caller). You pick spots where there are only a few people active in the hand and your hand's value does well against the range(s) likely out there.

Will there be times when you shove from the SB and the BB wakes up with AA? Yep. It happens. Still, you should know when shoving makes sense. They can always call.

#7

20th November 2016, 6:43 PM

mammadduke [488]

Poker at: bet and acr

Game: holdem

thanks Vinnie for your input and taking the time to answer the questions.. I too think about some of these things. except for the name calling which to me is just a sign of immaturity or they are jus an ahole...jus ignore it. I never stoop to their level.

#8

21st November 2016, 11:36 AM

evolucian [32]

Online Poker at: pokerstars

Game: holdem

re: Poker & Aggression and other family favourite questions

Yeah, more experience will be key for me. Thanks for all your help man. I will definitely change my approach and stuff

#9

22nd November 2016, 6:30 AM

evolucian [32]

Poker at: pokerstars

Game: holdem

Well, yesterday I played a psol freeroll and applying most of these concepts got me a decent way through it. For once I actually took my time and thought about things.

The lesson on aggression shone through when I was trying to raise and one of my other fingers brushed the min raise button on the tab... Having aces and seeing all the players make hands due to that error, well, lesson learned.

I don't use a HUD as tabs can't but I definitely see patterns anyway. Some people are very repetive in how they steal, tactics wise. Others not so much, but when the river bet doesn't make sense and I call, I noticed their bluff. Won't always work that way but still, lesson learned. I only had a pair but suspected he had nada, correct.

Betting to claim the pot or to build it, also learned. I didn't wanna go over the top with quads, just wanted to learn through the hand by disguising it and building the pot. Same with the FH's, slow build up. Learned something.

The limping issue, learned. It allowed me to make my flushes and straight draws. When I'm out of position like ep 1-3, I merely limp. Incorrect probably but at least I can see if I'm playing against a strong hand or something equal. Learned and still learning.

Position plays I haven't done yet. Hand pairs of king, queen or jack I didn't shove unless I was very short. Kept normal betting and sometimes it paid off and sometimes not. It's normal I guess.